Super Zoo

After two episodes of 'Me and It,' the Weibo account of Taoyuan Yiqui was not only flooded with a vigorous popular host application campaign but also saw a strong outcry: many people wanted to adopt stray animals!

The word 'stray' has a rather special meaning when it comes to animals. For example, a monkey that wanders all over the deep forest – would that be considered stray? Obviously not, but if it loiters around the city, sleeps under bridges when tired, and begs for leftovers at the doorsteps of small eateries when thirsty, even if its living conditions might be better than in the mountains, it would then be categorized as a 'stray animal.'

After the two episodes of 'Me and It,' nearly three hundred thousand people watched the live broadcast, and the recorded videos spread through various channels; it was impossible to calculate how many had actually seen them. Those who had seen the videos were overwhelmed with compassion, like a tide that could not be held back, and they went everywhere in search of stray animals to adopt.

In just one short week, the stray cats and dogs of Yangchuan City were nearly swept clean.

There were only a few stray animals in a community, and many communities had none, so people had to 'borrow' from other communities. If you were quick, you got one; if you were slow, you missed out. Suddenly, stray animals became 'hot commodities.'

This shocked the environmental protection department. The city's stray animals disappeared overnight, and they feared a large-scale epidemic had broken out, prompting an investigation. They ended up making a thank-you call to the zoo after findling out what had happened.

Adopting stray animals is, after all, a good act, at the very least not a bad one.

But the problem was that after adopting the cats and dogs, the fans took their new pets for health check-ups at the pet hospitals, got them cleaned up and groomed, and then with photos in hand, they all went to post on the Weibo of Taoyuan Yiqui, signing up to participate in the 'Me and It' segment.

When taken seriously, indeed they all 'had a story.' Saving a little cat or dog is a story in itself, making them eligible to apply.

The problem was that this way, the number of host applicants suddenly increased several fold, with quite a few thousand people.

The first episode was organized, planned, and hosted by Suming; he also selected the guests and created the program outline for the second episode. By the third episode, Suming only chose the guest; the rest was up to the host. From the fourth episode onward, Suming completely withdrew from the process. He wanted to train the hosts step by step.

This was tough for the few young hosts. Oh man, with thousands of guest candidates, they didn't have the energy to sift through them all.

When Suming arrived at the zoo's large office, Mrs. Tong and several enthusiastic staff were bustlingly offering advice to the hosts who looked worried and frustrated.

"Just let Yangchuan Forum do an open selection, that would help reduce your workload..."

"The stories of stray cats and dogs are all similar; just pick any one for the sake of it..."

"Otherwise, why not ask Mr. Shen, the engineer, to design an automated screening software? Isn't everyone talking about smart office work these days? Let the software choose for you, you just need to click a few times..."

The office was in an uproar, but it was quite harmonious. It was evident that in just over a month, the young people from the entertainment company's live streaming platform had gotten along well with the zoo's veteran staff. There was no barrier between them despite coming from different units.

Seeing Suming push the door and enter, the people in the office either looked over or turned their heads, all greeting Suming.

"Director..."

"Mr. Su..."

People from the two units had different ways of addressing him; Suming nodded, smiled, and said, "Talking about the guests?"

"Yes." Mrs. Tong, an old employee, watched Suming grow up and felt no need to be reserved around him; she turned the computer screen on the desk to show Suming.

The screen displayed the Taoyuan's Interesting Weibo account, and the comments below were almost identical in format:

"Registration: Zhang, pet, lame yellow cat," followed by a photo.

"Registration: Luo Datou, pet, little earth dog with a broken arm," accompanied by a photo.

...

The entire computer screen was filled with comments in the same format. Mrs. Tong laughed and said, "The youngsters are worried sick. Look at us old folks, trying to find a solution for them. It's great that you're here, as you're the most creative. Why don't you give us an idea?"

The young live-streamers, being mentioned, all felt a little embarrassed and gave a sheepish smile.

As for a solution, Suming didn't have one at the moment. If he was willing to put his mind to it, he probably could come up with a good way to solve the issue.

But this time, he didn't want to step in and resolve the problem for the live-streamers.

Whether in an individual's career or during a unit's development, there will inevitably be a variety of emergencies and unexpected difficulties, which are unavoidable. The company was growing larger, and like a finely tuned machine, everyone needed to perform their duties so that the company could operate smoothly.

If he had to resolve every significant or minor issue, the other employees would never truly grow. It would also be challenging for the company to develop genuinely capable talents who could take on major responsibilities, and it would always be stuck dealing with minor matters.

Suming was not a wealthy second-generation heir, nor was his business a family enterprise. There were no capable lieutenants left for him by the previous generation, and he didn't have the resources to headhunt top talents with high salaries. He had to truly 'start from scratch' and train talents in the real work environment.

A good boss doesn't worry about talent leaving the company. Better to have some trained talents leave than to be surrounded by mediocrity. Besides, it's too early to be concerned about whether these people will leave in the future.

"Mrs. Tong, you all worry too much," Suming chuckled and turned to the live-streamers, saying, "Since the job has been entrusted to you, I won't intervene. Whatever you decide to do is up to you! If you come up with a plan and need the company's support during its execution, you can then talk to Mr. Wang or come to me."

After he spoke, he patted one of the live-streamers on the shoulder, saying, "Don't feel burdened. You were all chosen by me. I trust my own judgment, and I trust in your abilities even more!"

Although his words did not give the live-streamers any concrete advice and seemed like a 'hands-off' approach, their eyes instantly lit up.

What young people need sometimes is not the so-called 'authoritative figures' or 'old-timers' micromanaging them. Although the advice might be good, it implicitly tells them: you're not capable; you have to listen to me.

When young people get used to always following the advice of 'authoritative figures,' to the point where they can't even find their way without guidance, their creativity and enthusiasm might as well be completely wasted.

What they need is trust.

Suming's words were the ultimate demonstration of trust. Explore more stories with My Virtual Library Empire

"Mr. Su, rest assured! Even if we have to work overtime and lose sleep, we'll make sure the program is a success!" one young live-streamer nearly cried, his voice hoarse.

"You don't need to do that, health comes first..."

As Suming was speaking, Mrs. Tong suddenly interrupted him, "Manager, someone is cursing us online!"